The Fourchon Oilman’s Association (FOA), in conjunction with the Bayou Community Foundation (BCF), recently awarded a $5,000 grant to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation (LWFF) to assist the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) with research on sea turtles in Lafourche Parish.
 
LDWF began conducting sea turtle research in Lafourche Parish in December 2014 and performs biannual sampling each year. This grant will support spring and fall sampling trips in 2018.
 
The grant was one of 11 presented by FOA and BCF to local nonprofits with grant awards totaling $35,000. The grants were selected and funded by the FOA from proceeds of the 2017 FOA Invitational Fishing Rodeo and distributed through BCF as part of an ongoing partnership between the two local foundations.
 
“The members of FOA are committed to giving back to our Lafourche and Terrebonne communities that support our local industry and the thousands of men and women here who work in our oil and gas industry,’’ FOA President Eddie Callais said. “We are excited to once again provide grants to local nonprofits that are doing great work to educate students of all ages, train our workforce, care for the sick, conserve our wildlife and fisheries and create a better quality of life for everyone.”
 
“This grant will allow LDWF to obtain valuable observations, measurements, samples and data regarding sea turtles,’’ LWFF Executive Director Sam Barbera III said. “This is the first partnership between LWFF and FOA and the grant funding further underscores FOA and BCF’s efforts to conserve the wildlife of Louisiana.’’
 
For more information on FOA and BCF go to www.fourchonoilmans.com or www.bayoucf.org.
 
LWFF, a non-profit public charitable foundation, was created in 1995. Its goals are to aid LDWF in habitat conservation, youth recruitment, environmental education and training, natural resource research and management, regulation enforcement and financial assistance to LDWF programs.
 
The Foundation receives no public funding and depends entirely upon contributions from individual and corporate donors. Encouraging cooperation and support for LDWF programs is the major focus of LWFF, accomplished by connecting people and businesses with Louisiana’s natural resources.
  
To donate to the Foundation or to volunteer, go to www.lawff.org or call 225-765-5100.